Love and Liability
by Carleystan
Summary: Originally a one shot titled Rehab, now a multi fic.
1. Chapter 1

**I thought we could all use something a little bit happy, maybe even a little bit ooc after the way Erin and Jay both broke my heart in the finale.**

* * *

"Erin." A women calling to her interrupted her deep concentration.

"Yeah?" At the sound of her name, she looked up from the chessboard she was sitting at. Chess. She was surprised she even remembered how to play. It had to be like riding a bike, because it wasn't like she had much time for it in her normal life. When Camille was sick and had first been assigned to bed rest, they played tons of board games, and spent hours watching movie marathons. That's when she learned to play; now, in rehab she'd started playing again on occasion.

"You have a guest. Should I send him in?"

Him. Erin knew immediately there were only two options of who it could be. She wanted to see them both, even if she did feel undeserving. No one had come to visit her yet, and she couldn't blame them. She'd hurt everyone she loved in her downward spiral.

"Go ahead." She nodded. Her throat was dry making her voice even raspier than usual. "I gotta go." She told her opponent sitting across the chessboard as she stood up.

The nerves began to kick in, and she pulled the sleeves of her sweatshirt down, fisting them in her hands.

When he walked in, she swore she felt her heart stop. Was it possible to forget how breathtaking someone was in just 19 days? Because it felt like it was the first time she'd seen him all over again.

"Hey." He kept it short and simple. No hug, no wave, just his hands shoved deep in his jacket pockets.

"Hi, Jay." His first name almost felt to intimate rolling off her lips. She didn't feel like she had the right to call him that anymore. She'd hurt him too much. She'd hurt everyone.

"You look good. Healthy." They began a slow walk towards the open garden in the back of the facility.

"Yeah. I uh, I am. I feel good. Healthy." She repeated his exact words back to him.

"I'm glad." He nodded. Conversation with Erin had never been awkward, but now coming up with two words seemed agonizing. He didn't know what to say to her anymore. He didn't want to push her if she was too fragile, but he also had questions he needed answers to. He wasn't angry anymore. He couldn't stay angry with Erin Lindsay for more than two seconds if he tried. He was hurt, but most of all confused.

Sensing the awkwardness, Erin attempted to ease him with a little lighthearted banter. She knew they had real things to discuss, but the ice needed to be broken first. "You look good too, you know? Nice and healthy or whatever." She gave him a small smirk.

She watched his face light up a little at her teasing. It was as if it reassured him that she was the same Erin he knew so well. "It's the new boxing gym. If I have to be there every night after work, I might as well get a workout in."

"Am I going to get a discount now that my partner owns it?"

"Maybe 20% off a membership. 30 if you're lucky." He winked.

"What a steal. I don't know how I'll pass that up."

"You shouldn't. You gotta get back in shape if you plan to start having my back again anytime soon."

The lightheartedness evaporated at the mention of her getting back to work and to the real world. The thought truly terrified her. It was easy in here. After the withdraw symptoms, and the constant, desperate need for drugs or alcohol had dwindled, it had been simple. Her day was planned for her. She woke up, had breakfast, then group, and then came lunch. After lunch she had an individual therapy session, and then an hour of free time before and after dinner. There was no dealer around the corner waiting for her to come score. There were no bars or liquor stores lining the streets taunting her. She was safe inside her rehab bubble, and the thought of leaving was petrifying.

She spoke just barely above a whisper. "Yeah. I do."

"You do plan on coming back to work, don't you?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat. It's not that she didn't plan to return to work, because she did. Just the thought of being alone in the big city again frightened her. She wasn't ready to really talk about it. She still had eleven days left of easy before she had to face her biggest fear.

"I wasn't expecting you to come. When she said I had a visitor, I thought you were gonna be Voight." She dodged his question. "I'm glad you're here. I just didn't expect it. You didn't have to come. I wouldn't have been mad if you didn't. I know that I probably don't deserve it."

Her attempt to avoid his question didn't go unnoticed, but he let it go regardless. "You're right; I didn't have to come. I didn't even want to come if I'm being honest, but I needed to. I needed to see you. I need answers, Erin."

"Yeah, I know." She looked down at her feet, and gripped her sweatshirt sleeves even tighter in her hands. "Ask whatever you want. I'll answer anything. Whatever you need to know. I owe you that much."

He sighed. "I don't know where to start, Erin. I guess it just hurt, all of it, seeing you strung out like that, seeing you with him. Was there something I could have done?"

Her head snapped up to look at him. "God, no. Jay, I messed up. You couldn't have done anything differently. I got drunk, and then I got drunk again, and again, and again, and then it spiraled out of my control. I got myself caught up, and before I knew it, I was too far gone to even help myself let alone allow you to help me. There was nothing more you could have done, Jay. Please believe that."

"You left the unit, Erin. You quit."

"I know."

"You left the unit, and I need to know why. Did it have anything to do with him?" He couldn't look at her anymore. He was afraid her face would give away an answer, and if it did, he was terrified it would be an answer he didn't like.

"I would have walked away from intelligence in a heartbeat, Erin. I would have let Voight hate me with no reservations, just for a shot at you and me. I wanted to tell him that day, but you said no. You weren't willing to give up intelligence or Hank for me, so I backed off. We cooled it, and I walked away because I just wanted you to be happy. Then a few months later you quit the unit, and give up your relationship with Voight anyways. I guess I just need to understand what was enough to make you do it, since I clearly wasn't enough."

Her heart ached in her chest at his question. This is what had hurt him the most, the idea that she had walked away from intelligence for drugs, and Landon, but she hadn't been able to even consider walking away for him. "That wasn't me, Jay. It was, but it wasn't. That was my addiction talking. You know me. If I wasn't willing to give up intelligence for the one person," She reached out and placed her hand on his cheek forcing him to look at her, "the one man that truly makes me happy, do you think I'd give it up for drugs or some loser I grew up with? The Erin you know, the Erin I think you might have even loved would never do that. I wasn't myself under the influence. I wasn't the same Erin."

They were both silent as Jay took a moment to let everything she had said sink in. Eventually he reached up and gently grabbed the hand she had resting on the side of his face. He held her tiny hand in his. It was so small, delicate, cold, and pale in comparison to his. He placed his other hand over top, just wanting to warm hers up and keep it safe.

He finally broke the silence. "You're back. You're the same Erin that was my partner, my best friend, and that I did love." He answered the question of whether or not he had loved her. "You're back to being Erin."

"I'm getting there." She nodded.

"So when you do get there, do you plan on coming back to work? You never answered me."

She gave his one hand a gentle squeeze. "Yeah, I want to. If Hank will let me I wanna come back. I want to get better and back to normal, and I think work will help with that. Then when I'm fully back to me, and I've earned back your trust, I'm gonna win back your heart." His smile made putting herself out there more than worth it. As afraid as she was to be vulnerable, making Jay happy, seeing him smile, was all the assurance she needed to continue. "This time there won't be a damn thing, not Voight, not work, and not my addiction that can get in our way. You just wait and see."

* * *

12 days later, it was her first day back to reality, her first full day out of rehab. She'd come in to work, not that Voight let her do anything yet. She still had to earn back his trust first. It was a step in the right direction though, and it was nice to be back at the precinct surrounded by her family.

As the day was coming to a close, Jay moved to stand in front of her desk. "You wanna get dinner after shift? I know you've gotta be craving a burger from Au Cheval."

"I would, but I actually was gonna go to a meeting tonight."

He was proud of her dedication to staying on the straight and narrow. "I can wait if you wanna go after."

"Okay." She nodded with a grin. "Or you could come with me." Before Jay had even had a chance to react she began to retract her statement. "I'm sorry. Never mind. That was stupid. You don't wanna come. You've probably got things you need to do."

"Erin. Erin, breathe." He chuckled. "I'd love to come with you."

* * *

"Hi, I'm uh, I'm Erin. I'm 31 days sober. This is actually my first meeting on my own since I've left the facility. Rehab." She cleared her throat nervously. "I would be lying if I didn't say that I'm the most scared I've even been in my life. I am so scared that it's almost paralyzing sometimes. I've done all of this before. I've gotten clean, but this time it's different. This time it has to stick, because I hurt way to many people when I went down that rabbit hole again. And the crazy thing is, the people I hurt so badly are the same people behind me, holding my hand, having my back." She made direct eye contact with Jay. "They're helping me through this, and maybe I don't deserve it after everything I did." She shrugged her shoulder. "I don't know, but I do know I'm gonna stay clean this time. I couldn't stay sober for myself the first time around, but this time it's not just for me. I'm not alone anymore, so it's also for them, and I know that they deserve it."

When she took her seat back next to Jay, he immediately reached over and laced their fingers together. He gave her a look that radiated so much pride. He was proud of her, and in return she was proud of herself.

"Thank you." She leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"I've got your back. Always." He whispered in return.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! So I posted a one shot titled "Rehab" a while back, and then I started to write this new fic and realized that Rehab would be a perfect prologue for it. I've changed the name, but if the first part looks familiar that's why. I hope that makes since. Anyways, I hope you'll like this new story, and let me know what you think. :)**

* * *

 **8 Months Later**

It Erin burst into Voight's office Monday morning. She couldn't take it anymore; she was going stir crazy sitting behind a desk day after day. She was a detective not a secretary, and she'd earned that title. Sure, she'd had screwed things up and made some mistakes, but she'd been punished, and she refused to suffer behind a desk any longer. "When are you going to give me a chance, Hank? I've done everything you've asked. I've been clean for eight months, and my ass has been in this precinct everyday. How am I supposed to regain your trust if all I do is answer phones and run errands all damn day? I need you to let me back out in the field. Give me a shot to prove it to you."

"Good morning to you too, Erin." He sarcastically replied. "How was your weekend?"

She sighed, her frustration bubbling. "It was fine. I went to a meeting, like usual. I went to the gym; I'm running ten miles now easily. I'm in shape, better shape than any of the guys you got out there right now. I feel good. I am good, and I'm ready to be out on the streets." She used his question as another way to sell her point.

"Have you been to the range?"

"Almost everyday. My shot has never been in question before, Voight. You know I'm good."

"Well, I've heard you, and I'll consider it." He nodded, but Erin was nearly positive her argument hadn't really reached him. "Now if you'd excuse me." He shooed her away as his phone began to ring.

"Please, Hank, at least think about it." She wasn't too proud to beg anymore. If she had to use their relationship outside of work as leverage, she would. With a last sigh, Erin turned on her heels and left his office. She knew she hadn't gotten through to him yet, but she was nowhere near ready to give up. She was determined to be working by the end of the week.

* * *

Voight's voice rang through the bullpen not even a half hour after she'd given him her spiel. "Lindsay." He gave her a simple nod telling her to follow him into his office, and she was sure her features gave away how stunned she was. Had she really convinced him to give her a chance?

She saw the file on his desk and was instantly disappointed. It was just her weekly drug test results. Hank had been making her get tested every week. She knew she didn't technically have to for work, but if it assured Hank that she was clean, she'd pee in a cup for as long as necessary. "I don't know why you call me in here for this anymore. We both know the results."

Hank ignored her statement and jumped straight to his agenda. "Vanessa Parker."

Her brows knitted together. This wasn't about her test results? The conversation was definitely taking a strange, rather puzzling twist. "Wh… What? Is that name supposed to mean something to me?"

"Illinois senator Gregory Parker's daughter." He offered more information.

The name became familiar. "So what does a young Chicago socialite have to do with me?"

"She was murdered last night in her 30 West Oak apartment. The commissioner just called and gave us the case. It hasn't hit the media yet, but you know when it does it'll be a shit show. We've gotta move quickly before the story gets out. You said you were ready? Well, this is your shot, kid."

Her eyes went wide. She wasn't expecting something this big for her first case back, but she was definitely not complaining. She did her best not to smile, after all a girl had died to make this possible, but regardless of how hard she tried, the corners of her mouth betrayed her. "I won't disappoint you, Voight. I'm ready for whatever. What's your plan?"

"Al's over with the family right now. Well, the mother and sister anyway. Dad's on a flight in from DC. They've all been cleared as suspects. The women have been in Toronto for the past week, and Parker was at the families' apartment in DC. All their stories check out."

"Do we have any leads then?"

"The family is working on a list of people that may have wanted Vanessa dead, or that may have done it as a way to get back at one of them. It's a politician's family, Erin. There's a lot swept under the rug, and a lot of skeletons waiting to be found. That's where you come in."

* * *

Erin anxiously looked around her apartment making sure she had gotten everything she needed. Voight had given her an hour to run home and pack before she'd be leaving to go undercover. The victim's younger sister, Madison Parker, was going to be introducing her cousin "Erin Parker" to the world in just a few short hours. Erin would be immersing herself fully into the lifestyle of Chicago's elite in order to get a better feel of what might have happened to Vanessa, solve the case, and prove herself to her boss.

In her few years in Intelligence, she had been undercover a few times, and it was normal for her to get nervous beforehand. Dry mouth, racing heart, sweaty palms were all the usual symptoms, but she could easily shove them away when it was time to get her head on straight. This time however, the nerves were near crippling. She had to prove she wasn't a liability, but an asset to the team. Her spot in intelligence depended on this mission going well, but that wasn't the only thing making her uneasy. These girls were infamous in the Chicago nightlife scene. Avoiding nightclubs, drugs, and alcohol wasn't going to be possible. She just hoped she was strong enough to resist the temptation when it was thrust in front of her face.

Standing in her doorway she flipped her sobriety chip between her fingers a few last times. She intended on leaving it at her apartment, but once it was time to leave she quickly shoved it into the front pocket of her bag. She didn't want to be left without it down the line. She had faith in herself, but a physical reminder of how far she had come these last few months was just extra encouragement.

* * *

When she arrived back at the precinct, everyone was frantically working to get everything set into motion for her stint. She made it to the doorway of Hank's office before noticing Jay was also in the room. Things had been tense between the partners as of late, but it didn't stop her eyes from scanning over his body, checking him out. Old habits die hard. It was then she noticed something peculiar. He wasn't wearing his usual jeans, in fact he had black dress pants on, and his usual leather jacket was replaced with a black suit coat. His new look completely baffled her until she noticed the duffle bag flung over his shoulder.

"You gotta be kidding me?" Her raspy voice questioned the two men that had yet to notice her. "Why the hell am I even here, Hank? I might as well be stuck behind the desk if you can't trust me to do this one thing!" His outfit had given him away; Jay was joining her undercover.

"Erin, your partner suggested you might not be ready to do this alone." Voight calmly responded.

Her anger was immediately redirected towards the fellow detective in the room. "You." Her head whipped toward Jay with a glare in her eyes.

Erin Lindsay's death glare was one no sane person would ever want to be on the receiving end of. Jay was not intimidated by much, but this look was scary. "Erin, I just don't want you going in alone. I don't think it's the right time."

"Nobody asked you!"

"Voight did!"

"Since when do you two talk about me? We both know you never had the balls to talk to him about me before."

"Erin that's enough." Voight interjected, but was ignored by the other two in the room.

"I'm doing what is best for the unit right now. You of all people should understand that." Jay fired back at her. If she was going to use their past against him, he'd throw in a dig too.

"I don't need a damn babysitter!"

"Nobody said you did. I'm your partner not your babysitter. We're equal here, Erin." He attempted to rationalize.

"Then as your equal, I'm saying I don't want you to come, and you should respect that."

"That's not how it works, Lindsay. You need backup, and unfortunately for you, I'm it."

"I'll be fine, Jay. Why do you even care so damn much?" Annoyance filled her tone.

"Don't ask questions you already know the answers to, Erin."

That's where he was wrong. She didn't know the answer anymore. Two weeks ago she was sure they were on the same page. She had promised him, that day in rehab, eight months ago, that she would get clean, earn back his trust, and then earn back his heart. She thought they had made it to that point. She believed he trusted her again, and thought he wanted her again, just as much as she wanted him, but then Thursday night had happened.

" _Touchdown!" Erin threw her arms in the air celebrating victory from her cozy spot on Jay's couch. "How much do you owe me now, Halstead? Fifty bucks is it?"_

" _I only agreed to twenty!"_

" _Bullshit! The deal was fifty for whoever guessed closest to the final score, and you know it." She crawled over to his end of the couch and tried to fish his wallet from his front pocket._

" _Hey, knock it off, Erin!" He laughed and attempted to stand and get away from her, but she wouldn't let him. Grabbing the back of his shirt, she pulled him back down into the couch cushions._

" _Just give me my money and this wouldn't have to happen." She warned through laughs._

" _I'll give you thirty. Deal?"_

" _Don't rip me off, Jay!" She swung a leg over his waist and pinned him beneath her. At this point, they were both laughing to hard for him to really fight back. She took his wrists loosely in one hand, while the other reached into his front pocket and took his wallet._

 _She was surprised and disappointed upon opening it. "Ten bucks. Are you kidding me?" She looked up at him, still perched on his lap. "You could have warned me you were broke before I went though all that work." She pouted sticking out her bottom lip. "I'm still taking the ten." Erin snatched the bill out of the wallet, shoved it in her back pocket, and tossed the empty leather wallet to the side._

 _She moved to get off his lap when she finally felt him beneath her. She took in a sharp gasp at the contact while Jay held back a groan. Instinctively, her eyes peered down at the little space between them. For the first time she thought about how her straddling his lap and digging around in his front pocket probably wasn't the smartest idea. It had definitely gotten him…excited._

" _I'm sorry." He whispered an apology for his lack of restraint, compelling Erin to pull her gaze back up to his face._

 _Her breathing labored. She shouldn't have gotten turned on so quickly. She would have scolded herself had her thoughts not been completely preoccupied by all things Jay Halstead. Memories of him, his lips, his taste, his touch, his love muddled around in her mind, making the little hairs on the back of her neck and arms stand straight up. In that moment she wanted him, and it scared her just how much._

" _Don't be." She wasn't sure words even came out when she attempted to whisper back. Her hands now somehow gripped the back of his neck, luring him in closer, until they met._

 _Timid and gentle their lips brushed, and then hungry and frantic they clashed. Tongue, and teeth, and lips, and desperation met in a flurry of fervent kisses. Lips on lips, lips on necks, and ears, and collarbones, and everywhere in between._

 _When she'd undone every button of his shirt she slid off his lap and onto her knees on the floor before him. Her nimble fingers worked at his belt as she panted for air. Just as she began to pass the leather through the buckle, his hands were on hers, halting her._

" _Erin…" He was breathless too, but the way he said her name instantly communicated that something was wrong._

 _She peered up at him with eyes full of lust, and desire, and maybe even love, and it made the next few words even more difficult for him to say. Yet he said them anyway. "I can't."_

 _It took a moment for her mind to catch up with his words, and when she did she wondered if she'd heard him correctly. It felt like a punch to the gut, and the heart, and every other part of her body. Was he really rejecting her?_

 _He was the man that visited her in rehab, and held her hand and sat by her side when she didn't want to go to her meetings alone. The man that brought over chocolate milkshakes while the rest of the team went to Mollies after a hard shift. He told her she was strong and beautiful on the days where it was obvious she felt anything but. He was her best friend, and the man that had made her fall in love for the first time in her life, but suddenly it all felt so fake. Had he never really wanted them back together, but was just been trying to help make sure she stayed sober? Had he just changed his mind? Was he not falling with her, but just being a good friend and partner? Did she blur the lines and turn it into something it wasn't in her own head?_

 _The thoughts and doubts and questions poured into her mind. She had to get away from him, fast, before the tears started. She rushed out of the apartment, ignoring his calls after her, and they'd barely spoken since._

* * *

The memory put a damper on her feisty mood. She didn't want to fight a losing battle anymore. Defeated, she gave in. "I thought at least you would believe in me. I guess I was wrong."

"Erin, you know I believe in you. It's just…"

She interrupted him. "You don't trust me. Jay, just say it. I'm not clueless. I'm an addict, not an idiot."

"Erin, I…"

"No it's fine. I've given you a reason to doubt me. It's just hard to accept that my own partner doesn't think I can get the job done. I can see I don't have a choice here, so lets just go" She shrugged sadly before exiting the office.

Jay stood behind feeling like the words biggest ass, but he was doing the right thing, wasn't he? Suddenly, he wasn't so sure.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Thanks for the response to the first chapter it was great and I really appreciate it. This chapter is kind of shorter, but it made sense for me to leave it here. I do have half of the next chapter already written though, so it should be out soon. Enjoy.**

* * *

Jay was still standing in Voight's office staring at the doorway when Hank snapped him out of his thoughts. "You good, Halstead?" Turning back to face his boss, he nodded in reply. He'd rather have Erin be angry with him and know she was safe, than allow her to go in alone and have to constantly worry about her. If anything went wrong he wouldn't forgive himself, so there was no other choice for him, but to go undercover with her. "Yeah, I'm good."

"She'll understand, eventually."

"Let's hope." He answered simply before leaving the office.

* * *

Jay went to his desk, but with everyone else hustling around to ensure the mission went off without a hitch, he just felt in the way. To the untrained eye, his coworkers looked to be running around frantically with no destination. It was chaos, and he knew asking to help would only take time and setback their work even more. With that in mind, he slipped into the locker room.

He'd expected to be alone, but instead his eyes nearly bugged out of his head at the sight of her. A royal blue strapless dress hugged her curves as she stood before the mirror applying the finishing touches to her makeup. To him, Erin was always gorgeous, but it was an occasion to see her in heels and a dress. He'd seen it a few times now, and it never seized to amaze him. "Wow," was the only word that came to mind.

Startled, Erin peaked over her shoulder to see who had entered the room with her.

"You're, wow… You look beautiful." He stuttered.

Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, Erin responded in annoyance, "Don't, Jay."

"Don't what? Be honest?"

"Don't say shit you don't mean because you feel guilty."

"First off, I said it because I walked in here and you about took my breath away looking like that in that dress. You do look beautiful. Secondly, I don't feel guilty. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, but I won't feel bad for doing my job. This is not personal, Erin. It's professional, and professionally, I don't think you're ready to go at it alone."

''No, you can't say that none of this is personal, and then in the same breath tell me I look beautiful! It doesn't make sense! You can't be strictly professional one second, and then the complete opposite the next. This is personal, Jay. All of this is personal, and you can stop pretending like it isn't because it's not doing either of us any favors."

"Fine, maybe you're right. Maybe some of my reasons are more personal than professional, and maybe some of the lines overlap and blur between the two, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter. This is what Voight wants, and this is his unit, so it's what's going to happen."

"It's what you want! You put the idea into his head that I'm some sort of ticking time bomb just waiting to explode and take down everything and everyone with me."

"I didn't. I gave him my opinion and he happened to agree. You're a great detective, one of the best, Lindsay. Voight and I both know that. Hell, everyone knows it, but it hasn't even been a year yet. These things take time. Rebuilding trust takes time, and you don't seem to understand that!"

There it was. He'd said it, and she understood everything now. It all made since. Why he "couldn't," why he'd talked Voigt into letting him go undercover with her, it all went back to the fact that he still didn't trust her. The realization was heart shattering because he was the one person she'd worked relentlessly to gain back the trust of. She'd told him everything these last few months. Anything and everything she could about her past she laid out before him on the table. She told him her very first memory of being four years old, and waking up in the middle of the night to watch her father be hauled off to jail. She never saw him again after that night. She retold the story of the time she saved Bunny after she overdosed on the fourth of July, and how it happened three more times after that night. Her eyes lit up when she recalled the best childhood birthday she ever had; her mom finally had a decent boyfriend and he took them to the movies to see Aladdin for Erin's tenth birthday. She told him about how she fell for Charlie at fourteen, and how her heroine addiction began. Then she told him how she came to live with the Voight's, and what it was like loosing Camille, the first real maternal figure she ever had. She opened up about every memory she'd spent her adulthood attempting to repress, and she did so with the hope that having no more secrets would begin to reestablish trust. Now she realized that reliving and sharing all of it hadn't seemed to matter. It obviously hadn't worked because he still didn't trust her at work or outside of it.

She took in a gulp of air, the tears pricked in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. With a shaking voice she spoke, "you don't trust me." It wasn't a question; she was stating her newly understood fact. "You don't trust me and you don't know if you ever will the same again."

Jay opened his mouth in response, but closed it just as fast.

She wasn't wrong. He wished more than anything that he could assure her it wasn't the truth, but it was.

The mutual respect and trust they had for one another had made them instantly connect. It was the basis of their partnership, friendship, and relationship. Now, he had no idea who or what they were without it, and that broke his heart. He'd do anything to have it back.

"Erin..." He finally spoke but had nothing to continue with. What was there to say?

"I uh..." Erin's voice cracked as she continued to fight back the tears. "Let's just get this operation over with, alright?"

"Yeah." He nodded as he watched her turn to walk away. He felt like he should say something more.

"Hey, Erin."

"Hmm?" He looked over her shoulder from the doorway.

"I don't, but I want to." He didn't need to clarify. She knew immediately what he was trying to say. He wanted to be able to trust her again, and because of that, there was at least hope.

* * *

Not long after, Hank and Erin stood in the garage downstairs as he gave her a final briefing before she left. "So, Madison is staying in a room at the Burnham to avoid any reporters when the news leaks. We're going to have you meet her there. We have a key for you with the room number. Your room is just down the hall from hers, and Burgess has already been there and stocked it with clothes and anything else you may need. It's all set to go." She wanted to ask where Jay would be staying but she bit her tongue, and listened to Hank continue.

"I've always had a rule, don't get your picture in the paper and that applies to undercover work too, but I don't know how easy it's going to be for you with this case. We're going to do our best to keep reporters away, but there is only so much we can do to help. As soon as the next story hits they'll be gone though, so just do your best until then. Halstead is going to be your security guard, so anywhere you and Madison go, expect him to tag along. Treat him how you would security, not like your partner that you're pissed off at. He's just doing his job, Erin."

She rolled her eyes slightly, but Voight decided to just ignore it. There was no sense in arguing more about it now. "Any other questions?"

"No, I'm ready." She spoke with confidence. She was ready to prove to everyone that she could do this.

"Okay then, let's go. Antonio is going to be your driver." There was a pause that made her believe the conversation was over. "And Erin…"

"Yeah?"

"I do believe in you. If I didn't you wouldn't be going out there."


	4. Chapter 4

She bounced on the balls of her feet anxiously as the elevator slowly climbed its way to the correct floor.

"Hey, you've got this. She already knows who you are, so this is the easy part. Just make her trust you, alright? You're good Lindsay." His voice anchored her back to reality. His quick words of reassurance brought her back from being adrift within her own worries and doubts. It was strange to have him pull her back down. In the past he'd had the exact opposite effect on her. He used to make her high. Higher than any drug ever did.

She licked her dry lips and nodded at his reassurance. "I'm good." The elevator came to a stop and her body jerked slightly, not expecting the abrupt stop. "Here goes nothing."

They stepped out of the elevator, and the room was the second door to the right. Nervously, Erin used the keycard to unlock it, enter the room, and really begin the mission. Jay stayed posted outside the door as security, silently rooting her on in his head. He wanted this to go well. He needed it to. Possibly more than Erin did.

"Hello?" The second she entered the room all nerves evaporated. This is what she did. She was a detective, and a damn good one at that. She could do this. On top of that, she didn't have to be Erin Lindsay anymore. The second she walked through the door, her past and her mistakes no longer mattered. It was refreshing.

She looked around the large hotel suite, waiting for Madison to appear. It was as big as her entire apartment, if not larger, and the room was definitely more expensively decorated.

As Erin admired the place, bare feet began to pad their way down the wood floors. A petite girl in her early twenties appeared in the foyer, and it was like seeing a ghost. She girl had long dark hair that seemed perfectly placed, yet effortlessly messy, and her skin was a sun kissed olive complexion. Erin's heart immediately clenched in her chest as flashbacks of the girl she had once considered to be a sister rushed into her mind.

She held her breath as the girl continued closer. Once Madison was in focus, Erin could finally breathe again. They may have had the same build, skin tone, and hair color, but their facial features were markedly different. She wasn't Nadia.

The younger woman held the neck of a bottle of vodka in one hand as she went to greet Erin.

"You're the cop?" She asked. Her face scrunched in obvious scrutiny. Erin felt like a piece of meat as she was looked up and down.

"Detective, but yes."

"I didn't realize this was real life Miss Congeniality." She shrugged. "It's good though. You're hot enough to play the part. I was nervous when they said I had to make people believe a lady cop was one of us, but you should be fine."

Was it a compliment, or an insult? Probably a bit of both Erin decided.

Madison set the bottle down on an end table and searched through a small clutch pulling out a pack of cigarettes. "I only smoke when I'm drinking, and I think dead sister, cop sidekick, and being put up in a 4 star hotel warrants a buzz before noon. Want one?" She held a cigarette out toward the detective.

"No, I'm good."

"'Kay." The girl shrugged before lighting up. "Would you mind cracking the window while you're right there? I don't think I'm supposed to smoke in here, and I'd rather not have to deal with anyone coming up here. I don't have the patience after that other cop asked me a thousand questions earlier."

After opening the window, Lindsay took a seat in the white suede chair across from Madison. "Sorry about that. We really appreciate how cooperative you and your family are being. We're going to do everything we can to get justice for your sister."

The room was silent for a moment and Erin could tell everything was starting to sink in for the younger woman. Madison's soft voice broke the eerie stillness. "You probably think I'm horrible, huh?"

"Why would you think that?"

"I'm some spoiled rich bitch complaining about my hotel accommodations and being questioned by the police, when this morning my sister was found..." She began to stutter, the realization finally hitting hard. Erin expected her to break down, but instead Madison took in a deep breath and composed herself. Erin could tell it was something she was used to having to do, and she empathized with her on that. She knew all about putting on a brave face and pretending to be okay when you were really falling apart inside.

"I don't think you're horrible. I think you're dealing with everything the best you know how."

"I love my sister, I do, it's just to me she's been dead for awhile now."

Erin's expression disclosed her curiosity, but she knew if she stayed silent Madison would continue. She could tell this girl was a talker the moment she met her.

"V and I were best friends. We were inseparable growing up. We did everything together. She looked out for me, took care of me, got me into trouble a little bit too. When you have the resources we did you get into things a lot earlier than you're supposed to. You grow up fast. We had a lot of fun for awhile." She took a final drag before putting out her cigarette.

"But Vanessa just didn't know how to stop having fun. She never knew when enough was enough. Sure, we go out and have a good time, but we have commitments too. We have charity events and galas and things we are expected to attend. It's all part of the image that we're expected to uphold, but she started missing events left and right. It's not strange to be out all night after partying, but when you're regularly gone for five or six nights at a time because you're too high off your ass to find your way home, it's a problem."

"And Vanessa had a problem?" Erin asked already assuming the answer.

"She was always wild, but then about a year and a half ago, on her twenty-fifth birthday, her trust fund opened up. She blew through it so fast. I don't even know what on, to be honest. Then she started borrowing money from people."

"Do you have an idea of how much she was borrowing?"

"A few thousand here and there but never enough to make someone want to kill her. The normal dealers that run in our circle are expensive. A line of good coke or a few pills every now and then never hurt anyone..."

 _If only you knew_ , Erin thought to herself.

"But she ran out of money, so I know she had to of started getting it off the street. The oxy was the biggest problem for her. She couldn't stop, and it changed her. It was slow at first, then one day it was like she wasn't even my sister anymore. I stopped talking to her. I though maybe it'd force her to get herself together. That was about six months ago."

* * *

Jay had barely let her exit the hotel room before he began his questioning. He was eager after being stuck outside the room for over two hours. "So?"

"Vanessa was an addict." Erin commented devoid of all emotion. She paced towards her own hotel room with Jay in tow.

He wanted to ask more about Vanessa's addiction but decided to save it for later. He couldn't tell by the way Erin was acting if it would be a touchy subject or not, so he pushed it to the back of his mind to bring up at a different time. "It went well I take it, if Madison trusted you that quickly?"

"Yeah." Erin shrugged. "She's definitely interesting."

"In a bad way?"

"No. She's actually not that bad." It was then she noticed Jay had been following her towards her own hotel room.

"It's okay to admit you like her, Erin." He teased bumping her with his elbow.

"I just met the girl, Jay. It's to soon to tell if I'll like her or not."

"You knew you liked me right away."

The laugh couldn't escape her throat fast enough. "I barely tolerated you, let alone like you, Halstead. Do you even remember our first week of partnership?"

"I could never forget the first day I met you."

Instantly, Erin's face fell. He wasn't allowed to say adorable flirty things to her anymore, and it pissed her off that he had even tried. Jay noticed the shift in mood and decided to clear his throat before changing the subject.

"I got extra eggrolls. They are supposed to call me when the food's downstairs in the lobby."

She was pulling her keycard form her purse when his words settled in, causing her to halt her movement. "What are you talking about?"

"It's Monday. We always get Chinese on Monday nights."

"Not in two weeks we haven't."

"I know. I just… I thought we should tonight. If we're gonna be staying here together we might as well…"

She cut him off. "What? What are you talking about?"

"You don't know that we're sharing this room?"

"No!"

He looked around making sure no one else was in the hallway to hear. "Let's just go inside and talk about it in private." He spoke hushed.

She slid the key card in and flung the door open. She might have marveled over how amazing the suite was had she not been so flustered.

Jay, on the other hand, took a moment to admire the room. "Holy shit." He looked around. "Look at this room. Did you really think the department would put up for two of these? Yeah right, Er."

"I would have appreciated a heads up before hand."

"I assumed you knew. I'm sorry."

She gave an exasperated sigh. "It's fine. We can alternate nights between the bed and the couch. I'll take the couch tonight I guess."

"Erin, we're adults. I'm not gonna try anything."

A part of her was disappointed that he'd been so quick to assure her he wouldn't make a move. A year ago they could barely be in the same room without having their hands, among other body parts, completely tangled up in one another. Now it almost felt like the idea of her repulsed him. "I'll take the couch."

* * *

Had it not been for the television, the first ten minutes of their meal would have been ate in complete and utter silence. It was not only uncomfortable but also seemingly unnatural. It felt wrong. Usually, Jay would tease Erin for her inability to use chopsticks. She would steal bits from his container because she always ended up wanting what he ordered. Their favorite restaurant always gave them three eggrolls, so they'd usually argue over who got the extra one. Now they sat like strangers in deafening quiet. Neither knew what to say, or how to act around each other anymore.

"Did you want some of this?" Jay asked tilting his carton of chow mien towards her.

 _Yes._ "No thanks." She lied despite the fact she really wanted a bite. "I'm getting full. Probably from the extra egg rolls."

"Yeah… Probably." He went with it, but he knew her well enough to know she was lying about not wanting some of his food. "What's the plan for tomorrow?"

"Madison is having a few friends over in the morning for brunch. She wants to tell them in person. She'll introduce me then too."

"What time is that? I want to wake up and go to the gym downstairs before hand."

"It's supposed to be at eleven or twelve. She said she told them all eleven, but not to expect anyone to show up until noon. Punctuality isn't their forte, I guess."

"Then you'll fit in just fine." He grinned and watched a real smile appear on Erin's lips.

"Shut up. I'm always on time."

"Yeah to work. Everything else you're always late to."

"That's not true. I'm only late when you don't tell me where we're going. For some reason you like to make plans for me, and then never tell me what they are."

"You've always liked all of my surprises."

"Yeah, but do you know how difficult it is to figure out what to wear when I have no clue where I'll end up? You can just throw on jeans and a button down and always look perfectly fine for just about any occasion. Women can't do that."

"Aww you think I always look perfect and fine?" He teased her.

"That is _not_ what I said, Halstead." The mood was the lightest it had been between them in the past two weeks.

"I'm pretty sure that's what I heard."

"That's your selective hearing."

"I listen to everything you say, Er. Even when you talk, and talk, and talk."

Her smile disappeared. "The only time I ever 'talked, and talked, and talked' was when I was trying to open up to you." All of a sudden she sounded offended, and Jay wondered where their playful banter had gone wrong. "I wanted you to be the first person to know everything about me. I told you things even Hank doesn't know. I'm sorry if hearing about my life was such an inconvenience to you." She stood from the couch and moved towards the bedroom. The door slammed shut behind her, and Jay knew then that he'd be the one sleeping on the couch for the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**I apologize for the delay in updating. Last week I had my final for my summer class I couldn't afford to use any of my spare time doing anything but studying. Now that my class is over (praise) I should be updating more frequently. I've noticed that I prefer writing chapters that are more on the shorter side, that way I can update more frequently, so expect that from now on. It just works better for me. Anyways, enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think.**

* * *

It was a half hour before his shift was set to start, when Adam Ruzek sprinted into his boss's office completely out of breath. Voight was just getting in himself, and hadn't yet sat down when the young detective came barreling in.

Adam had woken up exceptionally early that morning. Unable to fall back asleep he checked the news on his phone wondering if the Parker case had reached the media yet. As the unit had figured it would, the news broke overnight. He scrolled through a few articles before finding the one that had him racing to get dressed, rushing out of the apartment without so much as an explanation to his sleeping fiancé, and now breathless after sprinting into Hank Voight's office.

"Ruzek?" Adam barely made it into the pen on time every morning let alone a half hour early.

"Sarge…" He panted holding his phone out towards Hank. "You need to see this."

Hank's eye quickly scanned over the phone screen taking in the article. Although Voight's face was usually stoic and lacking expression, Ruzek could pinpoint the exact moment he got to the important part of the article.

"How the hell did this get missed?" His voice boomed as though Adam wasn't standing two feet away. "I'll call Lindsay and Halstead. You alert everyone else." As he scurried back towards his own desk, Ruzek heard his boss muttering under his breath in frustration. "How the hell did a god damn gossip columnist find information we missed?"

* * *

Back at the hotel, Jay knocked on the bedroom door tentatively. He hadn't seen Erin since she stormed off during their conversation the night before, and locked herself away in the one bedroom the hotel suite possessed.

He knocked again after a moment, and the response was the same; she didn't answer. He knew from past experience that Erin could either be the lightest sleeper in the world, or would sleep like a rock, nearly impossible to wake. It varied from night to night with no real cause or explanation. It was completely puzzling. Similar to the way he found most of her actions lately. With a sigh he entered the bedroom to attempt to awaken her.

In the center of the bed, she was passed out cold. He thought back to all the nights they shared a bed, although the word "shared" should be applied loosely. Erin had always been a terrible bed hog. No pillow, or side of the bed was off limits to a sleeping Erin Lindsay.

An extra pillow was parallel to her. Her head and one hand rested on it as though she was snuggled up to another person. Like she was resting on a man's chest. Like she was resting on his chest. She'd never admit it, but she'd needed a pillow there every night for about a year now. Since the first night she had to sleep without him.

Jay couldn't help the small smirk that appeared when he noticed the way Erin was wrapped within her blankets. She'd always been one of those people that couldn't decide if they were hot or cold when they slept; so one leg was beneath the blankets and the other on top, completely exposed. He used to ask her why she wouldn't just ditch the comforter and use the sheet to find a temperate medium, but she was adamant that one leg out and one in was the best method.

"Erin?" He spoke gently as to not scare her. "Erin, wake up." He got closer and shook her shoulder.

Her entire body jerked off the mattress as her eyes shot open. "Shit, Halstead! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Her hand covered her rapidly beating heart.

He barely heard her words because the first thing he noticed was the puffiness of her cheeks and the redness still beneath her eyes. She'd cried last night. Probably cried herself to sleep, and the thought made him want to throw up, and kick his own ass at the same time. He could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen his partner cry, and the idea that he could ever be the reason killed him.

"Jay? What do you want?" She sat up in bed, pulling the blankets firmly against her chest. She had on an oversized t-shirt, so there was really no reason to cover herself up more. It also wasn't as though Jay hadn't seen, or more accurately, enjoyed every inch of her chest in the past. He'd made it exceptionally obvious that he was a boob man with the amount of attention he used to give each of her breasts, but things had drastically changed since those days. Now she felt self-conscious just being around him. It's funny how rejection will do that to a person.

She worked at shoving unruly curls out of her eyes, as she awaited his explanation.

"Voight just called. The case has hit the media." He explained.

She reached for her own phone off the bedside table and noticed the missed call notification. It didn't say Voight, but read "Daddy," because Ruzek and Mouse thought it would be a funny joke to program it that way in her undercover phone.

She rolled her eyes and decided she'd remember to give them a hard time when the mission was all said and done. "We expected that to happen. It's not the kind of news you wake someone up at 6:15 am to tell, Halstead!" She groaned and started to lie back down, pulling the blankets up over her head to block out the sunlight that was just starting to creep in.

"They found something we didn't. Gregory Parker wasn't really in Washington the night of the murder."

She flung the blankets off from over her head. "What? How did we not know that before?"

"He lied. There's a pictures of him leaving his apartment building, here in the city, the morning after the murder took place."

"So Gregory Parker is our prime suspect now," she rationalized. "What else did Voight say? What's the plan for Madison now?"

"We gotta lay low and work on finding out what She really knows. Keep doing what you're doing. Make her trust you."

"I'll work her over at brunch today and see what I can learn."

"Do you think she knew he was in town, and lied to help cover it up?"

"I just met her yesterday! How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"I was just asking, sorry." He mumbled.

"If she's been lying to me she's good because I've believed her."

* * *

Dressed in a pale pink sundress, which made Halstead chuckle when he first saw his leather and combat boot loving partner wearing, Erin entered Madison's hotel room. She'd expected to be the first one there, but instead the room held four other's, including the hostess. Madison's head snapped towards the door, giving Erin a look that implied she had completely forgotten she was coming.

"Hi, Madison." Erin's voice was quiet as she gave her a gentle smile.

"Who the hell are you?" A man in his mid twenties barked while standing from the sofa.

"No, it's okay, Colin. She's my cousin, Erin." She talked him down, and Erin watched as he relaxed. "We met up in Toronto, and she flew home with me when we heard the news."

"Oh, Erin, yes." He acted as though he had heard of Madison and Vanessa's cousin Erin a thousand times before, though it was obviously not possible. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little bit on edge right now. I think we all are." He apologized.

"It's all right. I understand." Erin gave a small forgiving smirk while walking over to sit next to Madison.

"There's so many of them out there; more than after daddy died, Colin." A woman spoke while peaking through the blinds. When she turned to face the group, Erin realized that the two blondes in the room where Clarice and Colin Ellis. The Ellis' were old money in Chicago. The twins were born with silver spoons in their mouths and trust fund's with more zero's at the end than Erin would ever see in her life.

"Maybe we should get away for the weekend." With an arm wrapped protectively around the waist of Clarice, the man beside her spoke. He was tall and thin with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He walked towards Madison. "What do you say Maddy, do you want to take the boat out for the weekend and get out of the city? I think it would be a good idea." The slight twang in his voice alerted Erin to the fact he wasn't from Chicago. She'd have to wait for someone to say his name to know who he actually was.

"V always did love the boat. Well, when she was sober enough to enjoy it, anyway." Clarice spoke before receiving a glare from her brother. "What it's true?" The blonde defended herself.

Madison was obviously overwhelmed by everything going on around her. Her large, brown, doe eyes looked completely blank as she gazed at her friends.

Erin stepped in to answer for her. "Maybe we should let her think about it for the day, and then make plans later tonight." The group seemed to agree with that idea, which was a relief considering Erin had to run it by Voight to make sure they could even leave Chicago now that Gregory Parker was the CPD's new prime suspect.

* * *

A few hours passed while the group drank a few mimosa and bloody Mary's. Erin learned that the man with the accent was Joshua Reardon. His father had struck it rich in the oil industry back home in Dallas. He'd moved to Chicago a few years back to live with his girlfriend, Clarice, or more affectionately called Clare. Erin found the couple to be nauseatingly all over one another.

for most of brunch, Madison stayed virtually silent. Erin couldn't decipher if it was because she was overwhelmed now that the news was out, or if it was because she had lied to cover for her father and was now afraid of being caught. Erin knew there was really only one way to find out the truth.

* * *

"We gotta call Voight." It was the first thing she uttered to Jay upon leaving brunch.

"Why?"

"Pack your swim trunks and some SPF 50, freckles, we're spending the weekend on a yacht."


	6. Chapter 6

Jay insisted that Erin take the bed again, so the next morning he was awoken from his couch slumber by the sound of coffee brewing in the conjoined kitchen area.

With half cleft lids he took in his surroundings. A black suitcase was placed beside the door filled with Erin's things to take on the yacht. . She was at the coffee pot in a pair of pajama shorts and tank top, waiting for it to finish brewing. He squinted, trying to study what she held in her hand, twirling between her fingers. After his eyes came into focus it quickly resonated that it was her newest sobriety coin.

Before thinking twice, his sleepy morning croak filled the suite. "Happy two hundred and fifty days sober."

She jumped slightly. "You gotta stop startling me like this, Halstead." She turned on her heels to find him sitting up on the couch watching her. His eyes were still squinty from sleep; he had the craziest bed head, and one of his adorable boy-like grins on his lips. She'd always found him to damn adorable first thing in the morning. "But thank you."

He'd remembered. It wasn't a huge milestone like one year either. He'd obviously been keeping track of the days along with her, and the idea made her feel not so alone. He recognized her accomplishments, and that meant more than she could ever express.

To hide the smile tugging on her lips she turned back to the coffee pot and poured them both a cup.

The hint of surprise on her face didn't go unnoticed by him. "You didn't think I'd remember, did you?"

"I guess I didn't expect anyone to pay attention to the exact amount of days but me."

"Well I'm not just anyone, Er. I'm you partner, and your best friend, and I'm proud of you, so of course I remember."

She bit the inside of her cheek still trying to suppress a smile. "I poured you a mug whenever you're ready for it."

"Thanks." He stood from the couch and headed over to retrieve the caffeine. After taking his first sip, he nodded towards her hand still holding the small coin. "It's almost time for a new one right? The nine month one."

"Mhm" she nodded not looking up from the token she was holding.

"Do I still get to come watch you get it?" He asked meekly. He'd gone to every meeting where Erin was presented a new sobriety coin.

He'd always clap and smile like an idiot, radiating so much pride for his partner.

When she'd walk back to take her seat beside him, he'd always wrap her in the warmest, tightest bear hug. Then he'd press a kiss to head while mumbling just how proud he was of her. It was the same every time. It was something she looked forward to as an incentive to keep going on the hard days.

"You still want to?" An element of surprise was evident in her voice.

"I..." He paused for a moment caught off guard by her doubt. "I couldn't imagine not being there. It's important to you, so it's important to me."

God he made it so difficult not to be completely in love with him. She thought she was getting to a place where she could turn her feelings off, or at least ignore them for now, but then he had to go and say something perfect and sweet, and bring them all right back to the forefront. "Then, yeah. I'd like it if you still came."

"Good" he grinned. "I'd sneak in the back if you told me no anyway. Did you notice that today also happens to be Wednesday? It's a shame we can't celebrate 250 with a small fry and a vanilla milkshake." He winked.

She scoffed at the running joke they had between them. "I hate you."

"You always say that, but never mean it!" he teased her back.

* * *

" _One small French fry and one Vanilla shake." Jay handed Erin a paper bag and the shake only to receive a glare that could only be described as Erin's "are you kidding me" face. He did his best to not let the corners of his mouth turn up into a smirk._

 _She peeked inside of the bag and her own mouth turned into a grin. "I hate you. The shake is chocolate_ _too isn't it?"_

" _I've been getting this order every Wednesday for how long now, Erin? Of course I know it's a medium French fry and Small chocolate shake, yet you still text it to me every week like I could somehow forget!"_

" _Fine, I'll stop trying to be helpful by texting you my order. You're going to be screwed when I decide I want something different and don't text you because of this conversation."_

" _You, Erin Lindsay, are a creature of habit. That's why your order will never change." He spoke while stealing a fry from her bag and quickly dipping it into her milkshake that she had taken the lid off of._

" _Get you own." She smacked at him. He sat at the end of the couch, and she turned to rest her feet on his lap._

" _First off, I bought the food, so I think I'm entitled to a bite. Secondly, you expect me to eat with your feet here?"_

" _They're little, and they're cute, and they're clean; what's the big deal?" She asked wiggling her toes for emphasis, while tipping her head back, and dropping a fry into her mouth._

 _Jay smiled and shook his head. She ate like a little kid full of enthusiasm. "You're lucky you do have cute little feet, or else there is no way I could eat onion rings with them in my face."_

 _She scrunched her nose. "Just don't get all creepy foot fetish on me now, Halstead. I'm not into that shit."_

* * *

His voice pulled her from remembering one of their weekly Wednesday milkshake nights. Every Wednesday he'd go get them food while she went to a meeting, and then they'd meet at her place to eat. "What time do we have to meet Madison, anyways?"

"Oh, um 3 o'clock I think, but I wanna check in with her sooner before everyone else is around. "

"Then I'll hop in the shower now, so you can have the bathroom while I finish packing." He dropped his mug into the sink and disappeared into the bathroom.

When he was gone, Erin let out a sigh of frustration. He was so good at acting like nothing had really changed since their last milkshake night, and she was jealous that she couldn't just move on like he seemed to have.

* * *

Later in the afternoon, Erin let herself in Madison's room an hour before they were set to leave for the yacht. "Hello?" She called out, only to receive no reply.

She ventured further into the room and noticed the empty bottle of Vodka tipped over on the coffee table. She froze when she saw the ruminants of a line of cocaine. Taking a deep breath she composed herself and continued her search. "Madison are you here?"

She looked into the bedroom and found the younger woman passed out on top of the covers, still dressed in the clothes from yesterdays bunch.

"Madison you only have an hour. You gotta get up." She was meet with whimpers and sniffles, so she moved closer towards the bed.

Tears streamed for Madison's eyes. She was very clearly hung over, if not still high. "I thought he was in town to see the secretary he's been screwing. I knew he was here, but I didn't think he could ever... Do you think he really did it?" She cried.


	7. Chapter 7

Erin paced closer towards the bed. She assumed Madison was referring to her father, but she needed to hear her say it. "Who? Madison, who are you talking about?" The girl continued to cry out slews of nonsensical syllables instead of answering the question.

She looked to the door and wished Jay was in the room with her. He was always good at the whole comforting distraught women thing. It was probably his charm, and his deep reassuring voice, and the way he wrapped his muscular arms around you. _Shit, Erin focus_. She shook her head to try and forget about the feeling of Jay Halstead wrapped around her.

Tentatively, Erin took a seat on the bed beside her. She placed a hand on her back. "Who was in town that day, Madison? I need you to answer me, please."

Madison began to hyperventilate as she sobbed, and Erin was now pretty positive she had drank that entire bottle of vodka on her own. She was a mess. A hysterical, smeared makeup, mess.

"I'm gonna be sick." Erin heard her mumble.

Erin Lindsay could handle most things. Blood didn't phase her, gore was no problem, dead bodies she was used to at his point, but the one thing she could handle was vomit. "No. No. No. Don't be sick. Let's get you to the bathroom."

She stood from the bed and attempted to guide Madison towards the restroom. It was like moving dead weight. Madison was no help at all. Before Erin could say anything else the girl was emptying the contents of her stomach onto the carpet before Erin's feet.

That was it. Se needed backup. "Jay! Jay, get in here!" She shouted out for her partner, and she swore she'd never seen him burst into a room so quickly.

"What's going on?" He frantically called with his gun drawn. He first noticed the ghostly white paleness of Erin's face. Her eyes were wide like she'd seen something horrifying, and her hand pointed down at the young socialite hunched over on the floor. He'd seen that look on her face a few months back when she tried to help him get through the stomach flu. He knew first hand she did not deal with other peoples sickness well. When he saw the bile he cringed himself. This was more than he signed up for.

"I couldn't get her to the bathroom in time. She's drunk off her ass." Erin's voice sounded nasally as she tried not to breath in the wretched smell. "I can't stand here. I'm gonna be sick, Jay."

"No! You're fine, Erin. Pull it together. Go start the shower and I'll carry her in there okay?"

His partner nodded eagerly, appreciating any excuse to get away from the mess.

* * *

Two and a half hours later, Erin and Jay were guiding Madison into the backseat of the car service vehicle that was waiting out front of the hotel. They felt instant relief the moment they closed the door of the car, dismissing them of their "babysitting duties," at least for a little while.

They climbed into the backseat of the black SUV that was waiting for them right behind Madison's car. "That was insane." Erin sighed finally able to take a moment to relax. She knew she probably acted similarly when she used to go on binges, but to be sober and witnessing the meltdown was an entirely different beast. It was draining and horrifying. She felt more thankful than ever to be sober.

The driver turned around giving the partners a quick glance at a familiar face. "Rough morning I take it?" Antonio Dawson's voice sounded from the drives seat.

"You don't even know man." Jay replied with a sigh matching Erin's previous one. "Madison was drunk and hysterical. It was crazy. I imagine that's what dealing with a grumpy toddler is like, and for that I give you props for doing it twice."

"That bad was it?" Antonio laughed.

"God it was ridiculous. I had to do her hair for her and help her put on her shoes and everything." Erin chuckled realizing how ridiculous it all sounded. She glanced towards Jay. "If it's really anything like that, we're never having kids." _Shit._ Her eyes grew wide at her own slip of the tongue. "I mean I. I'm never having kids. " The more she spoke the more tongue-tied she got. "I mean not necessarily ever but… So any news about Gregory Parker?" She turned her attention to Antonio in an attempt to change the subject. She desperately wished the leather seat of the car could swallow her whole, and save her from the embarrassment. Of course Antonio had to be there to witness how incredibly awkward she was around her partner lately.

The older detective smiled and shook his head. "No, nothing worth noting yet. How about you two? Everything's going well? Any word from Madison?"

With a grin still on his lips from Erin's earlier misspeak, Jay answered, "She kept repeating over and over that she knew 'he' was in town that night, but we don't know who 'he' is."

Now that she could think straight, Erin chimed in. "I assume it's Gregory, but she never said it was her dad, so we can't be sure. I'm going to work on getting more out of her on the boat. Hopefully she'll talk once she's not so inebriated. We'll probably wait a few days to make contact unless it's urgent though."

"You might not be able to contact us anyways. Mouse isn't sure how your phones will work on the lake. It depends on how far out, and what direction the boat goes, so be careful out there. Voight's nervous about it. Let's just say you two are lucky you don't have to be in the pen right now."

"We'll be fine." Erin scoffed and rolled her eyes. She couldn't help but think Hank's uneasiness stemmed from the fact he still thought her incapable.

* * *

When they finally arrived at the docks, Madison's friends seemed entirely unfazed by their lateness, or by Madison's hung-over state. The boat crew led Erin to her room first, before showing Jay the crew bunking area he was expected to sleep in. It took every ounce of will power for Erin not to erupt into laughter upon viewing Jay's sleeping quarters. The bunks couldn't have been much wider than Halstead's shoulders, and they were definitely not as long as him height wise. On the contrary, Erin's room was simple and clean, with a crisp white duvet on a queen-sized bed. It wasn't large but it had its own bathroom, and Erin was sure Jay had never been so envious in his life.

"You're gonna let me sleep in here right?" He sat on the edge of her bed while she was in the bathroom changing.

"I didn't plan on it."

"Come on, Er. You can't really expect me to sleep down there in the bunks."

"You were a soldier, Halstead. Aren't you used to less than ideal sleeping conditions?" She teased through the door.

"That's not the point." He scoffed. "This bed is plenty big enough…" His thoughts trailed of when the bathroom door opened revealing his partner in a little black bikini.

"I'm gonna kill Burgess." Erin complained, not that Jay could actually comprehend a word she was saying. "This is the is the only swim suit she packed that actually somewhat covers my ass."

 _It barely does that, but I'm not complaining_. Jay thought to himself.

She groaned a final time in irritation. "Whatever. I'll just have to deal. When in Rome, right?" She slipped a pair of sunglasses onto her face. "What's the plan for the rest of the day?" She asked her partner.

Jay shook his head to snap his mind back to reality and away from thoughts of her milky pale skin contrasting with the tiny pieces of black fabric. "First and foremost, we need to verify that she was referring to Gregory earlier. How did you feel about her friends at brunch? Should we be keeping a close eye on them?"

"No, I don't feel like any of them were very threatening. The twins seem spoiled, but harmless. Joshua was a bit more difficult to get a read on, but I haven't seen he and Clarice go five minutes without their tongues in each others mouths, so if he knows something, she has to too."

"See how close you can get to her then."

"Yeah, if I can pry the two of them away from each other."

"Well then let's get this show on the road, Ms. Parker." He opened the door with a wink before they headed up to the top deck. Now that they had taken a few days to get a good feel for the mission, it was time to get to really get the ball rolling.


	8. Chapter 8

**Wow it's been a while. I don't have an excuse. I've just been busy with school and haven't felt like writing. Sorry. I'm going to try and get another chapter up for you shortly. Hopefully in the few days after Christmas. This isn't a very Linstead heavy chapter. Just trying to move the plot along. Anyway's enjoy.**

* * *

The sun was beating down on the top deck of the yacht producing the kind of heat that made everything seem sticky and foggy. Typically, Erin would despise this type of heat wave. She was positive that she and Jay were currently missing Hank's "stop bitching and moaning about the weather" speech the unit needed every year when it got into the 90's. Appropriate appeal for detectives was not appropriate for temperatures greater than the mid seventies. For that exact reason, she preferred the Chicago winter. Sure, the cold could be bitter, but a hot July day in jeans and combat boots was actual hell. Being in a bikini on the lake was a welcomed change of pace for the weekend, even if she was sure she'd come out of it with a sunburn.

She headed in the direction of the lounge chairs where Claire was tanning beside her sleeping boyfriend. Jay took a seat at the table a few feet away.

"Still no Madison?" Erin bent to sit in the open chair beside Clarice, and the plastic burned the exposed skin of her thighs, causing her to wince as she sat.

"Not yet. I wouldn't expect her for a while. She was pretty far gone when she called me last night, so I imagine she's in bad shape today."

"Yeah she was still pretty hysterical this morning. Do you know what set her off? Besides the obvious."

There was a brief pause before Clarice replied with a shake of the head, and a simple one-word answer. "No."

Erin noted the pause as an indication of a lie. Maybe she needed to keep a closer eye on Clarice than she had originally thought.

"She was trying to tell me something, but was just so belligerent. I couldn't quite catch what she was trying to get across." Erin pushed forward to see what response she'd get.

Another pause. "She gets like that when she's wasted."

Maybe this girl was smarter that Erin had given her credit for. If she knew something, she knew better than to spill. With Clair tight-lipped Erin realized what her next move had to be. She didn't like it, hated it even, and the fact that Jay would be around made it especially uncomfortable, but Colin Ellis was her best chance at gaining information. If she had to flirt to solve the case, she'd do it, despite how sleazy it'd inevitably make her feel afterwards.

When she'd passed the bar on board on her way to the top deck, she'd noticed Colin was there having a drink. That's where she needed to head. "I need a drink do you want one?" She made an excuse for leaving so soon after sitting down.

"No, I've got one already."

"I'll be back then." She made her way to Jay who was sitting a few feet away under an umbrella.

"We're going to the bar." She nodded in the direction and watched Jay's face screw in confusion.

"I thought you were going to work over Clarice today?" He followed her down a flight of stairs, and then inside the air-conditioned lower level of the boat. They'd only been outside less than twenty minutes, but a break from the heat already felt impeccable.

"She's not going to talk, so plan B is Colin. She's smarter than I originally thought. We need to keep an eye on her."

"And how do you plan to get him talking? He seems like the smarter of the two."

"Maybe Burgess did know what she was doing when she packed for me." Jay looked down at her lack of clothing, immediately knowing her plan. His jaw involuntarily tightened at the idea.

"You said yourself that this bathing suit makes me look hot."

"There are other ways, and I don't recall saying that."

"You didn't have to say it." She grinned slyly, before swinging the door open to the barroom. "Now let me work." She whispered before beginning her prowl towards the bar and her unsuspecting victim.

"I'll just have a water." Erin addressed the bartender as she saddled up beside Colin.

"Water?" The blonde beside her questioned, kinked eyebrow included.

"I'm being good this weekend."

"Well that sucks for me." He winked.

Erin did everything possible to suppress the disgusted expression begging to cover her features. "Maybe you should try it."

"I think I'm about three drinks to far in to try and be good now. I never saw the fun in being good anyhow. Are you sure you don't want just one?"

The mere smell of alcohol was intoxicating. She was craving just one satisfying sip, but she knew better. One sip would be one drink, and one drink would never be just one. She took in a deep breath. "I'm sure. I need to take care of Maddy. After this morning it's obvious she needs it."

"Well you're a good cousin. I'll just have to drink for the both of us then. Another, please." He held his near empty glass up towards the bartender.

An hour later they were all back on the top deck, excluding Madison who had not yet risen for her hangover induced sleep. Operation flirt information out of Colin was going fairly successfully. He was tipsy but not drunk, which fed right into Erin's plan. He'd be more likely to talk while under the influence, and he was definitely interested in her. Between the pickup lines she could tell he'd used many a time before, and the frequent flirty touches, it was obvious that he falling right into her trap.

He placed a hand on her bare shoulder. "You're burning. Do you want to go inside?"

Erin could see her partner's muscles go visibly rigid when Colin touched her.

"I wanna work on my tan a little bit longer. It's relaxing out here." She lied. Her skin was on fire despite the sunscreen she'd applied earlier, but if they went inside she knew Colin had more on his mind than just escaping the sun.

He nodded in agreement and reached for the tanning lotion his sister had sitting beside her. "Then at least let me get your back?"

Agreeing, she pulled her hair over one shoulder. While Colin's hands massaged the oil into her skin, she quickly gave Jay a glance. He wouldn't meet her eyes though, and was fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat.

"When do you think Madison will be up? Should someone go check on her? She was in pretty bad shape earlier." Erin asked taking her attention away from her partner. She didn't have time to worry about if he was jealous or what his body language meant, despite how curious she was.

Colin chuckled and Erin noted the fact that he had a nice laugh. It was full and rounded like Jays. "I've dealt with a hung-over Madison before. There's nothing pretty about it. Did you have to shower her and get her dressed?"

"Yeah. Thankfully I had Jay's help."

"That's your security guard?"

"Yeah. I think cleaning up vomit is probably out of his job description, but he knew I couldn't handle it."

"I haven't had anyone care about me like that's since Clare and I outgrew the nanny."

"Don't let him fool you." Clarice piped up. "I outgrow the nanny by the time I reached high school. She had to stick around to take care of my brother up until we went off to college."

"Like I said, it's rare to find people that care about more than just the money. When I do find them, I like to keep them around." He answered. "That's why all of my friends have their own money. That way I don't have to worry about them coming after ours. Right sis?" Erin made note of that particular sentence, remembering that Vanessa had blown through her trust fund, and was broke at the time of her murder.

"I think you're tipsy and just like to her yourself talk now, Colin." She teased her twin.

"If anyone enjoys hearing themselves talk it's you. Dad always said—"

Clarice interrupted him before he could finish. "Just go get yourself some water and sober up. You're embarrassing now. I'm sure Madison could use some water too. Someone should wake her up to get around for dinner tonight." She began to stand and wake up Joshua who was still napping. "We'll see you at six for dinner Erin."

The remainder of the afternoon was uneventful. Madison never showed to dinner. Colin fell asleep and didn't attend either. It ended up just being Erin, Clarice, and Joshua making meaningless small talk. Clarice's guard was observably up, making her seem even more suspicious to Erin as time went on. Erin was sure she knew the "He" Madison had been referring to that morning. Now she just needed to figure out to use that fact to her advantage.

After dinner Jay walked her to her room for the night. She couldn't help but feel bad about Jay's designated sleeping arrangement, and they did need to talk about the plan for the rest of the weekend, so she caved. "Just come back in twenty minutes and knock once. I'll let you in, and only because your bunk was built for a twelve year old and I'm nice."

"You're a lifesaver."

"So I've been told." She joked as he made his way down the hall.

Twenty minutes later he knocked once as instructed, and Erin answered immediately.

"I take it Burgess didn't pack you any t-shirts to sleep in either?" First she'd packed her the tiny bikinis, and then for pajamas she'd packed some sort of satin slip that Erin found to be completely ridiculous.

"Yeah, I'm pissed." Her eyes narrowed. "She's never in charge of wardrobe for any undercover missions I'm involved in again. Apparently she wants me to be half naked all the time."

"I'm not complaining." Jay teased.

"Well neither was Colin."

With that, Jay's face went stone. His grin became a straight line across his lips. "That pervert was practically groping you on the deck earlier. It was disgusting."

"I don't remember it quite like that"

"It was sick. I still don't get why you couldn't just stick with the plan and work on Clarice."

"Jealous much?"

"Like you wouldn't be pissed if Madison was in her bikini rubbing sunscreen all over me the way he was touching you today."

Erin's eyes narrowed once again. "Why would you even say that? Madison is a child."

"She's the same age as Colin!"

"It's different."

"How?"

"It just is, Jay." She sighed heavily. "Why are we even having this conversation? It was just part of the act. I didn't decide to let you sleep in here just to argue about Colin."

"You're right." He pulled the blankets back on the bed. "Do you want my t-shirt?"

"Huh?"

"I know you, and I know you won't be able to sleep in that thing. Do you want my shirt?"

She pursed her lips contemplating for a split second before nodding. "Please."

He yanked it off and tossed it her way before stripping to his boxers and getting in bed.

"Thank you." She spoke barely above a whisper. Then retreated to the bathroom to change.

When she reentered the room, the room was already dark, and Jay was beneath the covers silently. She crawled in beside him and took a minute to decipher if he was awake by the sound of his breathing.

"It was just part of the mission, Jay." She whispered. His breaths were always more evened out when he slept, and on occasion a single faint snore would escape him. She remembered that about sleeping next to him, and it was how she determined that he was still awake.

"I know." It was so quiet that his first word hadn't actually been an audible sound.

"And you're right, I wouldn't want to watch either if positions were reversed, but I need to solve this."

"I know you do. That's why I have your back—even if that means I have to watch Colin Ellis rubbing tanning oil all over it."


	9. Chapter 9

They'd both been attempting to fall asleep for about twenty minutes when Erin broke the silence with a question, "is it just me or is this boat rocking way more than it was earlier?" She'd been unable to get comfortable. Every time she shut her eyes, she felt as though she was falling out of bed. At first she thought it was one of those weird dreams where you think your falling but then your body jerks itself awake.

Jay waited for a moment, to see if he noticed any difference. "I don't think so. I don't know…maybe a little, I guess."

"I keep feeling like I'm falling out of bed. It's making me dizzy."

"Dizzy? Have you ever gotten sea sick before?"

"You know what, now that you mention it, I got sick last time I was yachting around Lake Michigan." She replied sarcastically.

"I'll take that as a no." She muttered beneath his breath. "Maybe there's someplace on bored where we can get you some Dramamine if you want it?"

"Drama-what?" She was tired and irritated at this point.

"They're motion sickness prevention pills."

"No. No pills."

"It's not like a pain killer, Er. If you need it you should take it so you don't get sick."

"I said no pills, Jay."

"Okay, no pills." He agreed. Although he knew it'd probably help her feel better, he'd support her decision. If she thought taking any kind of pill, even one that wasn't addictive, was a bad idea, he couldn't argue. She knew better than anyone else what limits she could and couldn't push with her sobriety.

"It's probably just the wind picking up out there. I'm sure it'll die down soon. You'll be okay." He placed a comforting hand on her back. "Maybe trying to fall asleep so you can't feel it would be a good idea though." He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Yeah. Maybe." She answered then fluffed her pillow to try and relax. "I'll try again."

A few hours later, Jay woke to the first clap of thunder around midnight. The boat was rocking more than it had been, not enough to make them need to dock yet, but definitely enough to cause nausea and motion sickness, even for him. Thankfully, Erin remained knocked out cold through the entire storm. He'd looked over and checked to see if she'd awaken numerous times. If the rough waves were making him get nauseous, he was worried that she would have been in pretty bad shape if she were to have woken up.

At one point during the storm, they hit a particularly bumpy wave, and Erin's arm rapidly flung over and wrapped around Jay's middle —anchoring herself to him while still completely asleep. They remained in that position for the rest of the night. Jay had thought about moving her arm back to her side of the bed, realizing that it probably wasn't appropriate given the status of their relationship, but he figured they end up back in the same position the next time they hit a large wave, so he left it be.

The storm raged on into the early hours of the morning and he hadn't been able to fall back asleep until around 4 a.m. Not long after, they were both startled awake.

"Erin I —Oh." Madison entered the bedroom and flicked on the light, before losing track of her thought upon noticing two bodies in the bed.

Out of habit, Erin pulled the covers against herself as if she needed to cover up, Jay covered his eyes with his hands slowly adjusting to the sudden brightness of the room, and Madison ignored the fact that they had been asleep, and continued chattering after the initial shock of finding them together.

"This makes a lot of sense actually. I didn't see it coming, but it makes sense." She looked them up and down. "Someone should probably let Colin know though, because I'm pretty sure this would come as a shock to him to."

"No!" Erin panicked. When Madison's eyes widened in shock, Erin took a deep breath. "You don't need to tell Colin anything, because this," She pointed between herself and Jay, "is nothing. His bed was just way to small, so I let him sleep up here. You can't say anything to Colin, understand?"

A sly grin appeared on Madison's lips. "Oh, I get it. I should probably be opposed to you using my friends, but Colin kind of deserves it, so go ahead. Although, if this is supposed to be kept a secret he," She pointed towards Jay, "should probably hurry up and get back to his room. The crew loves to gossip. Everyone will know within hours if you two get caught."

"What time is it?" Jay mumbled. He'd switched from covering his eyes with his hands, to having his pillow over his face.

"It's 6:30. I couldn't sleep anymore after being asleep all day yesterday."

With an irritated groan, Jay sat up and flung his legs over the side of the bed. Looking down he realized he was only wearing boxers. "I probably need my shirt back. To avoid suspicion." He grumbled. He was usually a morning person, but only getting two hours of sleep before being abruptly awoken could make anyone grumpy.

Erin cheeks blushed at the mention of the shirt. They were doing a terrible job at convincing Madison that nothing was going on between them. There was a sad sense of irony to the entire situation. Madison thought together, Erin wished they were together, but in actuality they were telling the truth. Jay had only slept there because he didn't want to sleep in his too small bunk.

"I'll go change." She padded to the bathroom attempting to make sure the shirt covered her on the short walk. She hadn't thought much about it last night, but now it seemed like she was only teasing herself. Lying half naked in bed next to him, pretending everything was fine, and like they were together again. It was almost cruel.

While Erin changed, Jay did his best to slide into his sweat pants without standing from the bed. He kept replaying in his mind Erin yelling the night before about how Madison was only a child. Maybe she wasn't legally, but wasn't much older than Nadia had been, and that fact alone made being around her half naked feel awkward and creepy.

When Erin returned in a white bathrobe, she flung the t-shit over to Jay. "Do you wanna just meet here in about an hour?"

"Yeah, I'll be back." Jay nodded in agreement. "Thanks for not making me sleep in that little bunk downstairs."

"You're welcome."

"So are you feeling better this morning?" Erin turned to Madison, ignoring the grin the younger woman still wore in response to fining Jay in her bed.

"Probably not as good as you're feeling." She gave a suggestive wink. "I have to admit, sneaking around with your partner on this boat is brave. It's not that big of a yacht."

Erin groaned and rolled her eyes. "Madison, I can promise you that nothing happened between Jay and I last night. He was only up here because his bunk was made for a child." It came out sadder than she had intended. Thankfully Madison didn't seem to notice. "Anyways, we need to talk about some things you said yesterday morning."

"Like what? I was a little bit out of it, Erin, which I'm quite certain you noticed. Thank you for helping me by the way."

"You're welcome, but you mentioned that you knew someone was in town the day of you sister's murder. Actually, you repeatedly mentioned that 'he' was in town. I just need you to tell me who this unspecified 'he' is. "

"I was just drunk and high. I didn't know what I was saying."

"Don't lie to me, Madison." Erin noticed the younger girl visibly gulp, but she stood firm, still refusing to answer the detective. "Fine. I wanted to hear it from you, but Clarice already told me you were talking about your dad." It was a blatant lie, but if it got Madison to talk it was worth it.

Madison's jaw dropped open. "That bitch." She spoke under her breath. A moment later she sighed and met Erin's waiting gaze. "Look, I knew he was in Chicago that day, but I never got to talk to him about why he was there, or what happened. I flew in with my mom, and the police picked us up at the airport. I had to give my official statement before I got to talk to my dad. If I said anything before I knew the truth, it would have looked bad for him. You guys would have automatically thought he did it, just like you do now. But I know he didn't, Erin. He loves my sister and I. It just wasn't him. It couldn't have been."

"If you're being honest and that that really is the case, why were you so upset yesterday about the fact he was in town?"

"I wasn't upset that he was in town, I was upset because I lied about it. I was already a little bit drunk when I saw the news articles with the leaked security camera footage proving he was in Chicago that day. I got scared that I was going to get in trouble for lying about knowing he was in town, so I drank more, and I bought some coke to take the edge off. That's why I was so upset and wasted yesterday morning. I was afraid. I am afraid, but I never thought that he could have really done it."

"You can't lie to me anymore, Madison." Erin spoke sternly.

"I'm not!" Madison defended herself. "I promise."

"I know." Erin nodded. "I know you're now right now, but in the future you need to be one hundred percent honest with me. That's the only way we can protect you, and the only way we're ever going to find out the truth about what happened to your sister."

The girl nodded eagerly. "Okay. I promise. No more lies." She took in a deep inhale, followed by an equally deep exhale. "In that case, there's something else you should know about my sister and the week she died. It's actually the reason I came to you room to begin with." She apused as if waitiong for a response.

"Okay, what is it?"

"She called me two days before it happened."

"You said you hadn't talked in six months."

"And we hadn't until that call. I mean, technically I wasn't lying, because I didn't answer when she called. She left me a message. She asked for money, which I wasn't surprised by. Every phone call from her was about money or needing help with something. Then she said she was pregnant. I just automatically assumed it was another lie and a scheme to make me feel bad and help her. She said she was pregnant, didn't know what to do, and she that needed money. I never thought it was true, but what if she was being honest? That's why I came in here to talk to you this early in the morning. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Maybe she called my dad for help when I didn't answer, and that's why he was in town that day. There is a way you can find out if she was telling the truth about being pregnant, right? Like the coroner person or whatever can tell that sort of thing?"

Erin ran her hand through her hair. It was a lot of information to take in at once. "Yeah, they can tell in an autopsy. Especially if they know what they're looking for." Just as she finished speaking there was a swift knock at the door.

Erin pulled it open and Jay walked in casually, completely oblivious to massive amount of information and case development Erin had just gathered. "You're not dressed yet?" He observed before noticing the expression on her face. "What?" He asked tentatively.

"You just missed a lot. We either need cellphone coverage to call Voight, or we need to get back to the city, now."


End file.
